Marketing mass: St. Paul store supplies all things Catholic

With Easter just days away, the folks at Leaflet Missal Co. in St. Paul are hustling to fill hundreds of orders each day for everything from crowns of thorns to "The Passion of the Christ" DVDs to "Quiet Time Church Kits" filled with play things for squirmy kids.

More than 10,000 gifts and books pack this 80-year-old business that has supplied everything from the funeral mass booklet for John F. Kennedy to a wedding mass leaflet for tennis star Chris Evert to communion hosts for the St. Paul Cathedral today.

Most Minnesotans have never heard of the place. But it has developed a national and international following as a place to buy all things Catholic. It offers a window into the hearts of Catholics, and other Christians, for more than a half-century.

"Right now we're seeing a return to tradition," observed longtime owner Peter Welvang, who began working at the company in 1952. "The pendulum swings."

Walk into the white stucco building housing Leaflet Missal on W. Minnehaha Avenue in St. Paul, and be prepared for both a blast from the past and a glimpse into the future.

A life-size statue of St. Francis of Assisi greets visitors at the door, along with racks of "holy cards," rosaries and priest vestments with designs hailing back to medieval Europe.

However, a garden fountain near the door happens to be solar-powered. And in addition to communion wine, the place sells "Table of Saints Organic Colombian Coffee."

Welvang was hired to pack boxes for the company when he was 18, in 1952. Competition became stiff for the little booklets that sat in church pews, so the company decided to diversify, advertising a few religious items in the back of its missals.

"The response was extremely good," said Welvang, who bought the company in 1980 and ran it with his wife, Diane. "That was the beginning of what we have today."

Leaflet Missal now is one of the largest suppliers of religious books and gifts in the Midwest. Titles range from "Jesus Make Me Worthy" to "Can a Catholic be a Democrat?" The business also imports and sells vestments to priests across the nation.

It continues to publish traditional books and pamphlets. In fact its "Outlines of the Catholic Faith" and "A Treasury of Prayer" have sold more than 1 million copies over the years, said Susie Furlong, the Welvangs' daughter, who now co-owns the place with her parents and other siblings.

During the 1960s, the business was widely known among America's best-known Catholics.

But its core sales are in religious gifts and other books that are displayed floor to ceiling in their store and warehouse.

In recent years, demand for more traditional goods has been on the rise, said the Welvangs. More priests are requesting the religious vestments of old, Welvang said. Customers are again buying Latin-language missals. And rosaries, crucifixes and portraits of the Last Supper continue selling like mad, he said, especially this time of the year.

However, there's also a large segment of shoppers looking for more contemporary manifestations of their faith, said Furlong. A stroll through the children's section shows everything from backpacks to visors and T-shirts with upbeat religious themes such as "Jesus Rocks."

Melissa Matlock was among the shoppers in the store last week, picking up a key chain, crucifix and several books for her young daughter.

"My grandma used to take me here when I was little," said Matlock, a mother of two from Falcon Heights. "It's like a candy store for me."